POLICE FIRING ON TRIBALS IN JHARKHAND

Dear Friends.

 The police firing on 2nd February 2001 at Tapkara ( Ranchi District) of Jharkhand is the first overt example of state terror being faced by the people who are victims of the forces of globalization and communalism, thus bringing to the fore the fallacy of the myth of new states!

 A preliminary report is enclosed herewith, prepared by INSAF-Jharkhand and the Jharkhand Ulgulan Manch. The policy of the media in segregating the news has virtually blacked out the news of this brutal repression to silence the voices that stand for re-constructing a secular-democratic Jharkhand!!

 INSAF, in collaboration with the civil liberties and democratic organisations, is planning to send a Fact-Finding Team to study the police brutality against the backdrop of the official development. It would also study the impact of the forces of death and destruction that are taking away Citizen’s Right to Life and Livelihood,guaranteed under the Indian Constitution. The Fact-Finding Team would also bring to the fore the people’s hopes and aspirations in the context of the newly constituted state of Jharkhand.

We call upon all democratic and secular forces in the country to unitedly condemn this state sponsored police brutality, and express solidarity with the people’s movement for the Right to Life & Liberty. Kindly send your protest letters/telegrams/Fax to: Sri Babu Lal Marandi, Chief Minister, Jharkhand, Ranchi - 834001 : ( Fax No: 0651- 309309 )

The following DEMANDS may be made:

a) Judicial Enquiry to be conducted by a sitting judge of the High Court;

b) Immediate suspension of police officials involved in firing, and initiate criminal proceedings under 302 IPC murdering the innocent villagers;

c) Immediate withdrawal of false criminal cases against the agitating public people’s leaders being initiated by the police after the firing;

d) Compensation of Rs. 5,00,000 to the family of dead, and Rs. 2,00,000 to the injured in police firing,

e) To concede to the public demand for “Gram Swasashan” in the area.

Kindly mark a copy of your letter/telegram at the above address.Looking forward to your support and solidarity,

In the Struggles,
 

Ms. Dayamani Barla Kumar Chandra Mardi  Rajendra K. Sail
President-INSAF Jharkhand Ulgulan Manch    Secretary- INSAF

National Secretariat: 1, ‘A’ KrishnaDeep Apts., Yashwant Nagar, Behind St. Anthony’s Church,
VAKOLA, Santacruz (E), Mumbai - 400 055,
Tel: 022-6422343/6419499/P.P. 6121773; E-mail: insaf@writemail.com / insaf@vsnl.com

INSAF (INDIAN NATIONAL SOCIAL ACTION FORUM)

A PRELIMINARY NOTE*:
 

Police Firing on Tribals in Jharkhand On February 2, 2001

(8 Dead & 24 Maimed! )
 

 The ugly face of the repressive regime and ruthless character of state power have not changed in spite of the formation of the newly constituted state of Jharkhand. This has been amply demonstrated in the police firing on its own people on 2nd February, 2001 killing eight and maiming not less than 24 citizens in Tapkara, about 40-45 kms from the Capital City of Ranchi.

 The incident began when the police forcibly removed one of the barricades put up by the public under the  “JANATA CURFEW” imposed by the KOEL-KARO JAN SANGHARH SAMITI (KKSS) in protest against the Mega Dam Power Project being built on the twin-rivers of Koel and Karo-the lifelines of Jharkhand.  The Police party beat up one of the movement leaders, Amrit Guriya (an Ex-Armyman), who questioned the police action. He was returning from work in his fields. During the past 30-years of movement against the Mega Dam, people resorted to regulating the movement of all government officials and vehicles entering the project area, after the foundation stone was laid down on 5th July, 1995 by the then Prime Minister, Sri P V Narsimha Rao. The Dam would displace some one lakh people, uprooting them from their natural habitat and livelihood sources. The people’s protest against the Mega Dam is recognized as one of the successful non-violent and peaceful protest movements in the world against official “development” at the dictates of World Bank & MNCs!

 On 1st February, the police party led by Station Officers of Raniya Thana, Akshay Kumar Ram, Tapkara Out-Post, R N Singh, was returning from the interior forest areas ( Jhilingse Range) via Lohajimi, where they had gone in search of “extremists” on a tip-off.  They removed one of the barricades near Derang village, which were objected to by Amrit Guriya, the area representative of Lubhra Toli village-level people’s organisation. According to the people, police beat up Amrit Guriya, with the gun butts. The news spread in the neighbourhood during the night of 1st February itself. Next morning, it was in protest against the police excess on their leader and an ex-armyman that the people from surrounding areas gathered around Tapkara Police Out-Post and Raniya Thana.

Around 12:30 p.m. a delegation led by regional leaders of the people’s organisation Sona Munda ( President), Sadar Kandulna ( Secretary) and Vijay Guriya (General Secretary) went to submit a Memorandum to the SDO ( P) Sri F K N Kujur. The people were demanding:
a) suspension of SHO Akshay Kumar Ram and R N Singh of Raniya Thana and Tapkara Out-Post;
b) compensation of Rs. 50,000 against police beating of Amrit Guriya;
c) re-structuring of barricade;
d) high level enquiry into the incident;  and
e) posting of tribal policemen at Raniya Thana and Tapkara OP.

At and about this time, Koche Munda, BJP MLA of Torpa also arrived and went inside the Thana to discuss the matter with high officials. People became anxious about the outcome of his intervention, and moved closer to him when he came out of the Police Thana. Koche Munda informed the public that Superintendent of Police (Rural), Umesh Kumar Singh was coming on the scene within one-and-a-half hours, and went away from the scene. The public was not satisfied and kept shouting slogans demanding immediate suspension of two police officials directly responsible for the previous day’s incident. At this time itself, the police suddenly opened fire. Six persons died on the spot, and many were injured including school children, who were returning from their school. ( e.g. one of the injured is Raman Guriya studying in class 8th in the Tapkara High School). According to some sources, police fired about 136 rounds, and the firing took place for almost about an hour. The injured were taken to the R M C Hospital. The real number of dead and injured is yet to be established as many village folks are in the hiding for fear of further repression by state authorities.

According to Anoop Sharan, Second Officer of Tapkara Thana, it was only when they realized that public could not be controlled even after lathi-charge and tear-gas shells, that they came out of the Thana and started firing directly on the public. Anoop Sharan said that the police did not fire in the air to disperse the crowd fearing that they would run out of cartridges and then all of them would be killed. According to him, there were 20 policemen and two-section forces with arms inside the Tapkara Thana at the time of the incident. According to the public account, the police had, in an order to justify their ghastly act, put the government vehicles to fire, and damaged the police station! Half-burnt body of one policeman, Jaleshwar Ram, was found the next day in bushes behind the Tapkara Thana. Incidentally, no other policeman posted in the Tapkara Thana was injured. Thus, the cause of the death of Jaleshwar Ram is yet to be established.

It was only after two days that the dead were cremated on 4th February at SHAHEED SMARAK in Tapkara. Ironically, this Shaheed Smarak is in memory of the seven martyrs, who died of the then police firing on March 2 in 1946. About 4000 people had gathered to pay their homage to the martyrs of Tapkara police firing, the first after Jharkhand was declared as a separate state by the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre. The state repression and police brutality on the public that was peacefully demonstrating have raised a fundamental question: Whether the formation of the state of Jharkhand is the answer to the plight of the people? Or the people’s struggles for the liberation and justice would still have to go on till the tyranny of the exploiters end to give rise to a peaceful, just and equitable society!
 

LIST OF THE DEAD :

Soma Joseph Guriya ( Gondera), Lucus Guriya ( Banai), Soga Pahan ( Champabaha), Susana  (Guttuhattu), Sameer Danhga ( Jaypur), Jamal Khan (Tapkara), Prabhu Sahay Kendulna ( Jarakel)
 

LIST OF THE INJURED:

John Kandulna ( Kodakel), Martin  Kandulna( Kodakel ), Dinesh Kandulna ( Kodakel), Chocha Kandulna (Kodakel), Elias Guriya ( Chukatoli), Jaypal Surin ( Behratoli), Asum Guriya ( Behratoli), Susen Guriya (Derang), Herman Guriya ( Muthatu), Samuel Topno (Gondra), Sadan Bhengra ( Gondra), Francis Guriya (Gondra), Masih Das ( Jaypur), Enem Topno ( Koynara), Masih Guriya ( Koynara), Mangal Guyriya (Champabaha), Paulus Guriya ( Kalet), Raman Guriya ( Lohajimi), Silventi Guriya ( Kochabadtoli), Junul Sahanga ( Kochabadtoli), Arabeet Guriya ( Dimbukel), Santosh Horo ( Torpa Sarnatoli), Sukhdev Pahan (Tapkara Hetertola).
 

LIST OF MISSING PEOPLE :

One girl ( Banai), Suneel Bhengra ( Bengapidi), Bera Guriya ( Champabaha), Selam Guriya ( Lohajimi), Saloo Lugun ( Kharanga), Khena Kongadi ( Ronhe), Vincent Kandulna ( Jadgaon Balakel)

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* Based on personal interviews of the people in the Tapkara area during visits made by activists associated with INSAF, Abhiyan, Jharkhand Ulgulan Manch, etc. The official version of the incident is based on the newspaper reports.